Emotional rollercoaster
by ravenclaw-scorceress29
Summary: Sequel to Bardock's Story. Bardock and Kayla are getting used to being parents but then the reality of the saiyan race hits home and turns everything upside down not once, but twice. Will include references to the DBZ Bardock special at the end.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This story features characters created by Akira Toryiama and I do not claim ownership of them. I have just borrowed them for my own stories. I only own the plot and Kayla

A/N: This a sequel to Bardock's story. This, in my imagination, fills the gap between where my story ends and the DBZ Bardock special, including a variation on the special. Hope you like it

**Chapter 1: Raditz's birth**

It took all the effort she had, giving birth to her first child. She was kneeling on a recovery bed, pushing with all her might with gravity helping out. The woman was Saiyaness, Kayla. Her father was, before he died, the commander of the saiyan army and she, herself, had been on the path to becoming queen of the saiyans. Yet, right here, she was giving birth to a child fathered by low-level. But not just any Low-level, Kayla's mate was Bardock. But right now, Bardock was no where to be seen. He was on his way back from his team's latest assignment. The message that Kayla was in labour had been sent to Bardock's scouter and he promised to be there before the baby arrived. But the baby was getting closer to being born. The chances of Bardock arriving before the baby were fading.

And Kayla was right, after a few hours of pushing, she let out a huge scream as the baby's head and shoulders eased their way through the birth canal. Plenthor, the head-medic, was at the end of the bed watching the baby's progress.

"Keep pushing Kayla," He ordered, "He's almost out, just a few more minutes."

"W-where's Bardock?" She panted,

She didn't want to her mate to miss their son being born.

"He's on his way. But Kayla, you can't hold on for him. The baby won't allow it and I won't allow it."

Plenthor was right; Kayla couldn't try and delay the birth just so Bardock could get there. With no choice, the young saiyaness resumed pushing. Eventually, the medic centre was filled with a huge roar from Kayla followed by the irate scream of the newly born saiyan. The instant he pushed out, Plenthor caught him and took him to be washed while Kayla lay, collapsed and panting on the bed. As reality kicked in, a huge wave of pride washed over her.

"I did it!"

She looked over her shoulder to see Plenthor and Malaka cleaning the new baby as he screamed the room down. Once cleaned, Malaka wrapped him up in a blue blanket and carried him over to Kayla. She manoeuvred herself on to her back as her crying boy was placed on her chest. She guided him to her left breast where he latched on immediately.

"You hungry, little guy?" She said softly, her eyes beaming.

As he suckled hungrily, Kayla stroked his head. It was then that she noticed an unexpected feature on him. It made her chuckle.

But, she admired her new son, she was soon aware of a new presence in the room. She turned to see Bardock and smiled. Her breath was often taken away by how gorgeous Bardock was. And, right now as he looked beautiful with the awestruck look on his face, his eyes firmly on the baby.

"It's about time you got here," She teased, "You missed the 'best' bit."

"Well, I'm here now." Bardock replied, jokingly.

"Yes, you are. So are you coming over to say hi or what?"

With a light chuckle, Bardock stepped over to her side and got a closer look at his boy. It didn't take long for Bardock to spot what had made Kayla chuckle. He noticed how much hair his son had. It slicked back and ran all the way down his back to his knees.

"Hey, he's mostly hair!" Bardock commented, slight shock in his voice.

"I wondered how long it'd be before you noticed," Kayla giggled, "He must have got that from me. Well, it's length at least."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, all he needs now is a name."

"Hmm, well when I was a kid; there was this guy who worked at the training centre near my home. He was like my mentor. He was called Raditz, great guy."

Kayla looked in to her son's face, eventually smiling. "I love it. Raditz"

The two new parents turned to each other and kissed sweetly as Raditz finished suckling and fell asleep.

While Bardock and Kayla got to know their new son, Plenthor and Malaka watched from across the room. Plenthor smiled from under his moustache while Malaka watched on with a rather serious look on his face.

"They look so happy," Plenthor smiled, "They should be. That little kid should be great."

"I just hope they haven't forgotten that he's probably going to be sent out." Malaka said, seriously.

"Maybe not. Remember, Kayla is an elite saiyan. She was a very powerful infant. Maybe little Raditz will be too"

"I doubt it with Bardock being low class. The kid is most likely to take after his father."

Plenthor wanted to argue but knew that his colleague was right. But he had seen both saiyans go through traumatic events, particularly Bardock, and wanted them to be happy. But that was probably not going to happen. But still Kayla was elite, so there was hope that her status would save Raditz from growing up alone.

Later, Kayla was asleep in her hospital bed and Raditz had been taken to the saiyan nursery to give his mother peace. Bardock, seeing that he wasn't needed, went to join Tora and his crew at their favourite bar. He knew his friends were waiting for news of the new baby. This gave Plenthor and Malaka the opportunity to give Raditz a check over. They had to weigh him and register his power reading. That way they could determine his ranking and monitor his progress and it wasn't long before they got their results.

"There you go, Plenthor," Malaka said, "The computer says Raditz has a power level of 5. He's a low level. Like Father like son. Who wants to break Kayla's heart? He's going."

"Now, wait Malaka," Plenthor replied, "His mother is elite, remember. This complicates things."

"No it doesn't. A low level means bye-bye baby and a high level means stay. Raditz will be leaving."

"I tell you what. We'll have the King decide."

Malaka just stared at Plenthor. There was a problem with that suggestion: King Vegeta was away conquering a planet for Frieza with his new queen. Yes, Vegeta had found someone to fill the place Kayla was supposed to fill. The two doctors decided that they would consult the King when he returned. Meanwhile Kayla and Bardock would be able to take Raditz home.

After two days, Raditz was finally free to go home with his parents. Very quickly, Kayla took to motherhood like a pro and loved every moment. She woke up every morning excited to see her son. She always woke before Bardock and would end up waking him up with her bubbly enthusiasm. She would wake then place a huge kiss on Bardock's cheek, on his scar. She would then bound out of bed and attend to Raditz. However, Bardock didn't take to fatherhood so easily. He wasn't sure what he had to do to and he struggled to bond with Raditz. Kayla understood why it was hard. As a Saiyan warrior, Bardock had to be solid and hard. His emotions couldn't get in the way of his fighting and his job. This steely barrier was hard to penetrate and seeing little Raditz being sweet was hard for Bardock respond to at first. But after a few days, Kayla got a surprise. The saiyan woman was asleep in bed, leaving Bardock to watch Raditz. The baby was lying on the floor on a rug, entertaining himself with his own tail. He would wave it around then grab it and start sucking on it or he would suck his toes. Bardock was laid back on the couch, reading while on his team's recovery time. He was contentedly reading the paper, enjoying the quiet but soon he realised that Raditz was making gurgling noises. He looked down to see that his son was looking up at him.

"What do you want?"

Raditz reached out his little hands towards his father and started talking his baby talk. Whatever Raditz wanted from Bardock, it was important. That's when the saiyan warrior saw what his son wanted.

"You want me to play?"

Raditz then let out a little laugh meaning yes. But that was a problem. Bardock wasn't sure how to play with a baby. Growing up, playtime was sparring with Tora and Takeo then with Kayla when they met. But then an idea came to him.

A few minutes later, Kayla was woken up by baby laughter filling the house. She got up then followed the sound until she walked in to the sitting room. Her eyes widened in surprise by the scene before her. Bardock was sat on the sofa with his tail out, wiggling it about. At first Kayla was confused but then saw Raditz's tiny little hands in the air trying to grab his father's tail. He'd get close then Bardock would move his tail just out of Raditz's reach. It made the baby laugh and smile. He was enjoying his father's attention. Kayla looked at Bardock's face and could see that he was enjoying himself too, smiling down at his son.

"Well," Kayla said giggling, "Are we having fun?"

Bardock's head shot up and he froze at the sight of his mate. She stood leaning against the wall, smiling.

"I-I was… eh … just… erm." Bardock stood up, trying to reason.

Kayla walked over to him. Once close enough, she got hold of the straps of his armour and kissed him squarely on the lips. When they parted, her emerald eyes sparkled happily.

"You don't need to explain." She whispered.

Bardock smirked then leaned in for another kiss. But, just as they were about to lock lips, they were disturbed by whimpering on the floor. Raditz was hungry. With an apologetic smile to Bardock, Kayla scooped him up and carried him to get food.

"Was your daddy playing with you, Raditz? That was nice of him, wasn't it?"

Bardock watched them walk out and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good job Tora and the others didn't see that. They'd mock me! But that felt good.' With a smile on his face, Bardock followed Kayla to get something to eat too. But this new family was about to be torn apart.

* * *

**Well, what do you think? Please feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** This story features characters created by Akira Toryiama and I do not claim ownership of them. I have just borrowed them for my own stories. I only own the plot and Kayla

**Chapter 2: Tearing apart**

Roughly a week after Raditz's birth, Bardock was sent to take over a planet. As the planet wasn't particularly big, Bardock was sent alone on a solo mission, meaning Tora and the others had to stay behind. After getting breakfast one morning, they went to see Kayla and Raditz. Kayla was surprised but happy to see her friends. Since Bardock met Kayla, she had become the unofficial member of their team and was close to them, especially Fasha. Once inside, Borgos and Tora started playing with Raditz on the floor, Fasha and Kayla talked on the sofa while Shugesh sat on an armchair watched. Raditz was giggling loudly at the attention he was getting from the two adult saiyans.

"So you going to a tough guy like your dad?" Tora teased, poking Raditz softly in the tummy.

"I think that's Bardock's plan." Kayla laughed.

"Aw, he does looking like Bardock a little bit." Fasha said.

"You think? Don't forget, I have hair like Raditz's."

They all chuckled as Raditz lay wriggling. Then Borgos saw that Shugesh wasn't joining in.

"Come on, Shugesh," He said, "Play with the little tyke."

"What?" Shugesh sneered, "Why would I do that?"

"Bardock was playing with him before he left." Kayla said, persuasively.

Shugesh just stared at her with surprise. If Bardock managed to drop the tough guy persona to play, surely he could too. He started tickling Raditz's feet, making the baby laugh.

"Hey! This is cool!"

It was a break through, big tough Shugesh letting go and playing with a baby. But that's when Raditz saw something more interesting to play with. He reached out and grabbed it. Suddenly Shugesh went stiff. Confused, everyone turned and looked down to see that Raditz had grabbed his tail and was squeezing it. Kayla jumped up and opened her son's fingers from around the tail. She then lifted him up.

"I'm so sorry, Shugesh," She said, nervously, "He's never done that, even to Bardock."

They all started laughing as Shugesh got his composure back. Suddenly their scouters started beeping. It turned out that the planet Bardock was on was proving more of a challenge than anyone thought. He needed back up and had requested his team. Kayla started to worry the moment she heard the message but Tora promised that they'd get him back safe. They got up, said bye to Kayla and Raditz and left. But this is where things get tragic.

Just as Tora and the others went to Bardock's aid, Malaka and Plenthor were still arguing about the decision to let Kayla and Bardock take Raditz home. Plenthor still maintained that Kayla's Elite status should keep Raditz with her but there was no getting away from the fact the baby's power level was just 5.

"Plenthor," Malaka said angrily, "The longer we take, the harder it will be on Kayla."

But before Plenthor could reply, an assistant dashed in, panting from running.

"King Vegeta has returned, sirs." He panted.

"Ah," Malaka said, "Now we can settle this."

The two medics set off for the King's palace. They told the guards that they needed to see his majesty. When they were escorted to the throne room, King Vegeta had just sat down to take a rest. When he saw Malaka and Plenthor approaching him, he rolled his eyes and sighed. He had only just got back from his mission.

"What is it, you two?" He asked.

"Sorry to disturb you, sire, but we need you superior opinion." Plenthor said.

"What is it about?"

"Well, we had a saiyan child born while you were gone but we don't know whether to send him away or not. The problem we have is that his mother is elite and his father is a low class.

King Vegeta paused. There were very few low-levels who were mates to elite. He just hoped this wasn't to do with two in particular.

"And his power level is 5." Malaka added.

"Who are the parents?"

"Bardock and Kayla"

The King suddenly felt anger boiling inside. He still hadn't forgotten that Bardock managed to claim Kayla before he could. She was almost his queen but turned her back on it all, meaning Vegeta had to search again for a mate. He had lost one of the most beautiful saiyans to a lowly solider. Now they had a child together. He may have given Kayla his blessing but his saiyan pride was still hurt. Well, what a perfect opportunity for revenge. But he had to hide vengefulness from his subjects.

"I cannot believe you two didn't use your heads. All saiyans with a low power level are sent away, his parents' status is meaningless. I demand that this child be sent out as soon as possible!"

Plenthor and Malaka looked at each other. This wasn't really what they wanted to happen but Kayla was about to get some unwelcome guests.

Kayla was sat at home reading a book while Raditz was sleeping in his cot in his room. She was trying to keep herself from worrying herself silly. Bardock had been gone for two weeks now and there had been no news since Tora and Fasha went to join him. She always worried about him. The memories of her father's death always put themselves at the front of her mind. What if she lost Bardock the way she lost her father?

"Stop thinking like this, Kayla," She scolded herself, "Worrying about it isn't going to help. Bardock is strong and resourceful. He'll be just fine."

'But he requested help over the scouter. He wouldn't do that if he wasn't in trouble.'

"But Fasha and the boys went to help him. And Tora promised."

Suddenly there was banging on her front door. It sounded like someone was pounding the door in. Who would want to do that? Annoyed but cautious, Kayla got up and went to the door. No one who visited her knocked like that and Bardock wouldn't be knocking. She got to the door and opened it to see four male saiyans standing in front of her. Two were huge. They were taller than Borgos and two times heavier. They were both dressed in brown and black armour similar to Tora's and had very little hair. One was wearing the armour and gown that Malaka wore. He was short and bald. The final man was tall, thin and had a very intimidating presence. He had a long moustache that ran down to his chin. He was wearing black and blue armour and a blue cape. He was one of the King's officials.

"Kayla?" He said, coolly.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Good. Boys"

Suddenly the two huge saiyans barged in and used their bulk to pin Kayla against the wall. She tried to struggle but they were too strong. Her heart was racing with fear.

"What's going on?" She begged.

"We have orders from the King to seize a saiyan by the name of Raditz. He will be sent away like the low class he is."

"But we were told we could keep him because my elite status. My father was Commander Sage, commander of the army some years ago."

"Maybe so but your son has a low fighting power. Therefore he must leave. Go and get him."

Kayla's body froze with shock. She had to watch as the medical saiyan marched in to her house and disappeared in to Raditz's room. Suddenly Raditz's distressed cries filled the house.

"Please! You can't do this!"

Kayla tried again to fight free. The problem was that she hadn't trained for months so wasn't as strong as she normally was. So the two guards holding her didn't have any trouble. Then the short guy walked pass, carrying Raditz. The baby was thrashing his arms, legs and tail about trying to get free.

"RADITZ!"

The baby's cries stalled for a moment at the sound of his mother's voice. Raditz turned slightly to lock eyes with his mother. But then he started crying again but this time louder. When the doctor was out of the house, the guards let Kayla go and walked out leaving her on the floor.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Kayla," The leader mocked evilly, "Don't worry, we'll look after Raditz."

He then strolled out the door. Finally, Kayla broke down sobbing. She was shaking with fear and felt awful. She could still hear Raditz crying into the night.

* * *

**What's next for Bardock, Kayla and Raditz? Find out soon...**


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer****:** This story features characters created by Akira Toryiama and I do not claim ownership of them. I have just borrowed them for my own stories.

**Chapter 3: Bardock's rage**

An hour or so later, Bardock and his team finally returned to Vegeta. They were exhausted but not in bad shape. Bardock managed to stay conscious and didn't need a healing tank.

"Anyone fancy a drink?" Fasha suggested.

"Nah," Bardock yawned, "I'm heading home. Kayla will be worrying herself stupid about me. I'd best show my face. Hey, why don't you guys come with me?"

"Sure!"

The team set off and flew to Bardock's home. As they got closer, Bardock felt something wasn't right. He wasn't sure why but it wasn't good. Then Tora called his name, urgently.

"Hey Bardock, why is your door open?"

The saiyan warrior looked ahead and saw his best friend was right. The door to his home was wide open. As they got closer, they could hear someone crying and Bardock started to get concerned. The crying sounded like Kayla. Was she ok or was it Raditz? When he landed he got his answer. Kayla was still on the floor, her hands and head were against the wall and she was sobbing so much she could hardly breathe.

"Kayla!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Bardock running over to her. He kneeled beside her and held her in his arms. She was shaking with her sobs, gripping to his armour.

"Kayla," Bardock asked calmly, "What's happened?"

"T-they took Raditz." She choked out.

Bardock froze. Someone had taken his son! Fasha and the boys looked at each other with shock and confusion. Bardock took Kayla's shoulders and held her so he could look in her eyes.

"Kayla, who took Raditz?" He asked trying to remain calm.

"The King's men! They just burst in and took him! They said that he has to be sent out because his power level of 5. Bardock, they took our baby!"

Then the sobs came back. As she cried against her mate's armour, Bardock was burning with anger. How dare they crash in, scare Kayla and take Raditz. He had to do something.

"Fasha, stay here and look after Kayla." He said

"W-where are you going?" Kayla asked shakily.

"I'm going to get our son back. Come on Tora."

Bardock then took off. Tora looked at others in confusion but then set off after his friend. Shugesh followed.

Borgos and Fasha helped Kayla up on her feet, helped her inside then got her to sit down on the sofa. She had stopped crying but she was still shaking. As well as fear, she had got a bit of a shiver from sitting by the open front door. Fasha got a blanket and put it, and her arm, around her friend.

"I can't believe they'd do this to you," She said, "I mean they let you bring Raditz home. Then they just take him from you without even your permission."

"Yeah," Borgos said sympathetically, "This is just horrible."

"Well, Bardock will get Raditz back somehow."

Kayla wasn't so certain. Maybe if she had done what her mother had said she wouldn't be going through this. But it was too late now.

"It's the fact they did it while Bardock was away," Borgos commented, "If he had been home they would never had done it."

"Yeah, they must have known that Bardock was gone and that Kayla was actually vulnerable for a change."

Kayla wasn't listening to them at all. She could still hear Raditz's cries. It just hurt so much. Why did her people have to be like this? It was all to please Frieza. 'That tyrant is destroying us. Our children have to grow up alone just to expand his blasted empire. Now my child has to be a part of it.'

Meanwhile, Bardock, Tora and Shugesh were flying. Bardock, furious with the situation, was racing ahead. He was going so fast Tora and Shugesh couldn't catch him up.

"Whoa," Shugesh commented, "Bardock's lost his mind."

"I know," Tora replied, "In the years I've known him, I've never seen him this angry. But I don't blame him. I'd be like this if my child was taken like this."

"I just hope Bardock doesn't do anything rash."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

Soon, Bardock landed at the medical centre where he knew who would know where Raditz was being kept. He stormed through the doors as his comrades landed. He was a saiyan on a mission. No matter who stepped in front of him, he just pushed pass until he got to Plenthor and Malaka's room. The two doctors were tending to two soldiers who were settled in to a pod each. They were alerted to marching footsteps and both turned to see the furious Bardock just as he grabbed Malaka and thrust him against the wall. Plenthor froze with shock as Tora and Shugesh skidded in to the room.

"Bardock! What are you doing?" Plenthor demanded.

"I'm getting my son back!" Bardock barked, "Tell me where he is, now!"

"I'm sorry Bardock. You can't. We're sorry but it was our mistake."

"Speak for yourself!" Malaka choked from Bardock's grasp.

"We should have warned you and Kayla about this. We weren't sure whether to send Raditz out or not."

Bardock let Malaka go then turned to Plenthor. He stepped closer and stared angrily at the older man. Plenthor, however, held his ground and glared back. He had watched Bardock grow and wasn't threatened by his glare. Bardock was in fact the first baby that Plenthor had to work with when he was younger. He remembered that, although he was very feisty, Bardock seemed to appreciate that the doctor wasn't going to hurt him. Even now the saiyan trusted Plenthor's advice.

"Believe me, Bardock," He said, "We didn't want this to happen. I firmly believed that Raditz would be immune to sending out because of Kayla's elite status. I wouldn't have let you take him home if I didn't"

Bardock's anger cooled down now and it was turning to heartbreak. If only he hadn't been sent out, this situation probably wouldn't be as bad. But it was too late now.

* * *

**Next chapter will be a goodbye to Raditz and the start of the aftermath.**


	4. Chapter 4

**********Disclaimer********:**** This story features characters created by Akira Toryiama and I do not claim ownership of them. I have just borrowed them for my own stories**

**Chapter 4: Final goodbye**

That night, Tora and the others insisted on spending the night with Bardock and Kayla to be there for them. They each found an area of the living room and fell asleep there. Bardock and Kayla were in their room settling down for the night. As Bardock undressed, Kayla lay with her back to him. She hadn't looked at her mate since he got back from terrorizing Plenthor. She just couldn't. She knew why but couldn't tell him. With his clothes off, Bardock slipped in the bed beside her and looked over to see if she was awake. Feeling his weight shift on the bed, Kayla closed her eyes to look asleep. She wasn't interested in being told everything was ok when it obviously wasn't. Still he placed a kiss on her cheek, lay down beside her then wrapped his arm and tail around her.

"Kayla," He said softly, "You know I love you. I just wish I could change this."

She didn't respond but opened her eyes. She heard the shakiness in his voice. He was hurting too but was dealing with it like a warrior. Eventually, he fell asleep beside her.

An hour later, when she was sure that Bardock was definitely asleep, Kayla took his arm and tail and unwrapped them from around her. She then slipped out of bed and put on her armour. She picked up her blue scouter and put it on. She then crept out of the bedroom. She peaked in the living room and saw her friends. Borgos lay sprawled in front of the door, Shugesh was lying on his back, snoring like a beached whale, Tora lay on the sofa and Fasha was curled up on the arm chair. They were only wearing their spandex with their boots, gloves and armour all gathered together in a corner of the room. Normally, Kayla would smile at the scene. Seeing her friends being there for her and her mate should've made her feel better but she just stared at them then left the house. She had something more important to do.

Once out of the house, she flew through the night until she reached the medical centre. It was closed but she knew that people were working still inside. She carefully crept inside then walked as quickly but as cautiously as she could through the halls. She was determined to find him. She looked in every room she passed while staying on the look out for strong power levels. Soon, after twenty minutes of searching, she found the nursery. Once inside it didn't take long to find Raditz. There were dozens of tiny saiyan babies, complete with furry brown tails but Raditz stood out with his huge mass of hair. He was sleeping on his back with his tail curled around himself. Then for the first time since he was taken from her, Kayla smiled. He looked safe.

"Raditz," She whispered, "Mama's here. Wake up sweetie."

Almost straight away, Raditz's little eyes opened and looked up to see his mother. He seemed to recognise her straight away and held his hands out to her.

"Hey there little guy."

She scooped him up in her arms and held close to her body. He snuggled up against her and wrapped his tail around her arm that was supporting his legs and bottom. As she held him, she ran the fingers of her free hand through his huge mass of hair. There was no way anyone could break this hug, not even Frieza could get in the way of her holding her son.

A few hours later, Plenthor was completing his late night checks when he walked in to the nursery. There, sitting in the comfy chair was Kayla. She was fast asleep with Raditz curled up in her arms. She wasn't supposed to be there. But she had stayed as defiant as ever and gone in. He didn't like seeing her upset but it was the way of her people. Raditz had to go in the morning and Kayla couldn't be here. The officials were concerned that she would cause trouble. Gently, he put his hand on her shoulder and shook her awake. She slowly groaned then opened her eyes to see the doctor stood looking at her, gravely.

"Kayla, you should not be here." He said.

"I couldn't stay away, Plenthor," She replied, "I wanted to see my baby one last time. I wasn't given a proper goodbye by those bastards."

Plenthor understood. He had heard about the rather traumatic way Raditz was taken from his mother, including that Bardock wasn't even on the same planet at the time.

"He's a good kid," He assured her, "He'll make a good warrior."

Kayla sighed heavily. It was a sigh that told Plenthor she didn't care about that.

"He'll be a good example of a saiyan warrior."

"In other words, a cold-hearted killing monkey, just the way the universe sees us. I don't care about Raditz just being another one of Frieza's puppets; I care about raising my son myself, like I should, like I was."

That little speech made Plenthor frown.

"Kayla, you realise some of those things you've just described could include Bardock, cold-hearted killing monkey, Frieza's puppet. Don't tell me you see Bardock as these things."

Kayla's eyes left Plenthor's as she rested her cheek against Raditz's hair. For the whole time she'd known her mate, she had never seen him as heartless or as anyone's puppet. She didn't now but she was so angry, she needed to vent her feelings. But maybe a tiny part of her wanted to blame Bardock.

Meanwhile, Bardock had woken up early to find the bed cold. With his eyes shut, he rolled over and reached over only to grab the sheets. He sat up quickly to find that Kayla had disappeared. He jumped out of bed, put on his pants then started looking for her. He looked in Raditz's room, the bathroom and the kitchen. But she was no where to be seen. He walked into the living room and poked Tora until he woke up.

"Tora," He said quietly, "Have you seen Kayla since we all went to bed?"

"No," Tora said annoyed, "I've been sleeping. Why?"

"She is not in bed and she's not at home."

Tora then sat up and saw that Bardock was concerned. And he couldn't blame him.

"There is one place she'll be." Bardock realised.

With Tora on his heels, the warrior pulled on his armour then set off to where he knew Kayla would be. And he was right. He finally found Kayla in the Medical centre with Plenthor.

"Kayla," He sighed, "I've looked all over for you."

"I had to see Raditz one more time before he leaves."

It was then that Bardock realised that Plenthor had Raditz asleep in his arms. He couldn't take his eyes off his son's tiny form. Although becoming a father had been a hell of a shock for him, Raditz had grown a lot on Bardock and he found himself caring about his son more than he thought he would. Plenthor saw the look on the young warrior's face.

"You have time to say goodbye if you wish, Bardock." He said, holding Raditz out towards his father.

Now Bardock was torn. The hardened warrior in him said no, don't be soft. But the father in him screamed at him to do this for Raditz at least.

Before he knew it, Bardock reached over, scooped his son out of the doctor's arms and held him close. As he stood holding Raditz, Kayla watched, her eyes filling. This would be the last time her family would be altogether. Then the saiyan baby slowly woke and looked up in to his father's face. Suddenly, with a soft gurgle, Raditz lifted a tiny hand and reached up until his little fingertips touched Bardock's nose. With a small smile, Bardock took Raditz's hand in his fingers.

"You've made me proud, son." He said softly.

Raditz, not understanding what was going on, let out a small happy gurgle to his dad. It was a tender moment between father and son, one that would be their last. After just a few moments, Plenthor stepped closer once again and held out his arms, signalling that it was time for Little Raditz to go. Kayla saw this.

"Please, give us a little more time." She pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Kayla," Plenthor replied, "But orders are orders. We cannot wait any longer. Bardock"

With a deep, reluctant sigh, Bardock went to pass Raditz in to the medic's arms. But, as Plenthor's took hold of him, Raditz realised that his father was letting him go and grabbed tight hold of one of Bardock's red sleeves.

"Come on now, Raditz," Plenthor tried to coax him, "Let go of your father. You're going on a little trip."

But no matter how they tried, Raditz wasn't prepared to let go of his father. His little eyes looked up in to Bardock's, almost begging his father to take him back. Seeing her son in distress, Kayla's heart was screaming for her to grab Raditz and run away with him but she knew it would be pointless, the guards would just chase after her.

Eventually, Bardock sighed and managed to slip his arm out of the sleeve. Now, there was nothing to stop Plenthor carrying Raditz off to the pods. The long haired infant sat in the medic's arms, his wide moist eyes staring at Bardock, his father's red sleeve in his tiny little hand.

"That's yours, Raditz."

Kayla looked at her mate as he stood with his arms by his side and head down. He looked slightly guilty. She sighed then walked away after Plenthor, making sure she was there to see her baby off. At the launch deck, there was a long row of empty pods all ready and waiting for passengers. Plenthor carried Raditz to the pod that was third closest to the door. The hatch was already opened so the medic carefully leaned down and placed Raditz in the seat. The saiyan baby still gripped Bardock's sleeve in both of his hands. Once he was secure, Plenthor stepped back and closed the hatch. Kayla had to turn away from the sight in front of her. Baby Raditz sat in the pod staring through the glass, his eyes wide and nervous. Then there was a hissing sound. Kayla glanced to see a faint mist flood the pod. She knew what it was. It was the sleeping mist that the adult saiyans used to send them in to a stasis sleep for long journeys. There was less mist used for Raditz but soon he was settled to sleep in his brown leather seat. Plenthor then turned to Kayla.

"You can watch from the observation deck up those stairs."

Kayla nodded then, with a quick glance at Raditz sleeping in his pod, she set off up a set of stairs on the opposite side of the room. As she climbed them, she could hear and feel pod being loaded in to position for release in to space then prepared for launch. As she finally reached the balcony, Raditz's pod was shot out in to a starry wilderness above. A few silent tears managed to slip on to her cheeks as the pod got smaller and smaller.

That's when she felt it, a hand gently placed on her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder to see the hand belonged to Bardock. He too was staring in to the sky, watching his son disappear. His eyes never wavered as he lightly brushed his thumb over her collarbone. His expression was hard to read but Kayla knew he was as upset as she was. But rather than leaning in to him and letting him comfort her, she completely ignored him. When the pod had vanished, she turned and walked away from Bardock. All the scarred warrior could do was watch the beautiful saiyaness walk away. Right now, he wished he knew what was running through her mind.

* * *

**Things heat up next chapter as Bardock and Kayla come to terms with Raditz being taken away. Please feel free to review.**


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer****:** This story features characters created by Akira Toryiama and I do not claim ownership of them. I have just borrowed them for my own stories.

**Chapter 5**: Breaking point

A few days after Raditz was taken away and it was obvious to anyone who visited Bardock and Kayla that there was a hole in their lives. There was tension and silence throughout the house. Kayla was still deeply grieving. Every morning, she would wake up and, for a few seconds, forget that her baby had been taken from her. Then she'd remember and it hurt as much as it did on the night. It didn't take long for Bardock to start to be concerned. The first morning after Raditz left Planet Vegeta, he woke to find the bed completely empty. Worried, he pulled on his spandex pants and started looking for Kayla. It didn't take long to find her. As soon as he got to the room next door, Raditz's nursery, he found her. She was sat on the floor with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up close to her chest. But what he wasn't expecting was the tears creeping down her cheeks.

"Kayla"

"I forgot that those bastards took my baby," She said quietly, "Now, I know I may never see Raditz again."

Bardock sighed deeply. He should've told her that Raditz would be fine and would return home. But he knew, due to the nature of their lives, that chance was not certain by any means, thus Bardock said nothing.

In actual fact, neither of the couple spoke much to each other over the following days. Bardock, trained and almost conditioned to dismiss emotions, carried on training and fighting as if nothing had happened. And this was beginning to frustrate Kayla. She wanted to let every emotion she had out, but thanks to those around her, she too felt the pressure to remain bottled up. But there was something else that was building. After the initial shock of loosing Raditz had faded, Bardock soon noticed his mate had become icy towards him. She often looked at him with a stony expression and, if passing each other in the hall, she was simply brush past him. Despite this, she still spoke civilly to him. After a couple of days of this, Bardock found himself sitting with Tora at their favourite bar. It didn't take Tora long to notice Bardock was distant and quiet.

"Hey, Bardock," He said, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Bardock grumbled, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've been quiet; I can't help think that your mind is elsewhere."

Bardock was about to tell Tora to mind his own business but his best friend was always there with advise. He trusted Tora with his life. Finally he gave in and told Tora about Kayla's behaviour towards him. When he finished, Tora didn't seem surprised.

"Come on, Bardock," He said, sighing, "You should've known this would happen. She's still hurting from loosing the little tyke. Remember when your mom died? Or when Takeo was killed?"

"Yeah, of course"

"Well, how about when we both held back then it all came out and we exploded with anger?"

Bardock finally realised what Tora was trying to say. Kayla was angry at the whole world about her baby being taken away from her.

"What do I do?"

"Go to her; tell her that you're here and hurting too. Tell her everything will be ok. Make her open up, just I like did to you and you to me."

Briefly, Bardock's mind thought back to those times, the times when his friendship with Tora was tested. Not long after Tora's twin brother, Takeo, was killed, Tora had found Bardock and attacked him. Luckily, Bardock got control of the situation and pinned Tora long enough for him to calm down.

_Tora glared deeply in to Bardock's eyes. It was there he saw it. It was look he had seen before, but not on Bardock, on himself. Like it was yesterday, Tora could remember Bardock being on his knees in a training centre, pounding the ground as he let out the pain of loosing his mother._

"_It's ok, Bardock," Tora assured, "Let it out buddy."_

"_Why? Why did it happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?"_

"_Nothing, trust me, nothing."_

_If Tora hadn't been so patient and persistent with Bardock at that time, Bardock wouldn't have made it this far. And right now, Bardock was returning that favour._

So now, Bardock had to do the same for Kayla. She needed him and he needed to show her he was hurting too. But before he could go and deal with it, Borgos, Fasha and Shugesh appeared.

"Hey," Shugesh called, "We've been looking for you two every where."

"Why?" Bardock asked.

"We've been given an assignment," Fasha replied, "And it's a good one!"

Bardock looked at Tora, unsure whether to skip it to talk to Kayla. But, his team needed him to lead them. So, reluctantly, Kayla would have to wait. At least the journey would give Bardock time to think.

As Bardock left with his crew, Kayla was on her way to visit an old friend. Dressed in her armour, she flew across the landing deck of the pods to land outside the repair lab just to the side of the deck. This lab was the home of her life long friend and confidant, Doctor Sports, the saiyan army technician. When she opened the door, she found the doctor sitting down for a change. When he saw her, he smiled brightly.

"Kayla, good afternoon," He greeted, "How are you?"

"Well, considering my new born baby was taken from me and I can't stand to be in the same house as my own mate, I think I'm fine."

The hostility on her voice took Dr Sports by surprise. He knew about Raditz and wasn't surprised she was still heartbroken. But to hear her say she couldn't stand being around Bardock anymore was a complete shock.

"That's not like you," He commented, sadly, "You and Bardock were solid before."

"Things were different before. I was a foolish child, lead astray. The best about what has happened is that I've grown up. I'm no child."

"But in times like this you need to stick with your mate. He's hurting like you are."

"No he isn't. Bardock doesn't care, just like the ape that he is!"

But before Dr Sports could say anything make Kayla change her mind, she turned and stormed out. It was clear the intensity of her anger was strong and there didn't seem to be a sign she'd let it change.

"Oh, Kayla, I hope you don't make things worse for yourself."

Although worried, Doctor Sports returned to work, thoughts of Kayla still in his mind. Was Kayla keeping something hidden?

A few days later, Kayla was sitting on a window ledge, reading, when she was disturbed by the front door opening. Bardock was back after his crew's latest assignment.

"Kayla?" He called.

But Kayla didn't answer. She had been content with the solitude over the last few days. But, in the instant she heard Bardock's voice, she started to get annoyed. It was as if just his voice made her angry. As the anger increased, she closed her book, stood up and turned to stare through the window at the sky above.

"Kayla?" Bardock called again.

After not getting a reply when he first called her, Bardock became a little concerned. When he called again, she didn't answer. But then, he found her. She was in the living room, standing at the window staring out with her back to him. Her body language told Bardock she was still tense. This was it, he had to confront her.

"Hey, I called you." He said.

"I know," she replied, coolly, "I heard you."

There it was again, the iciness in her voice. It was actually starting to get annoying.

"Well, a 'hi' would be appreciated."

Kayla was a little surprised by the sharpness of Bardock's tone. It was enough for her to turn around, frowning.

"I don't have to answer to you."

That made Bardock's eye narrow. What was going on?

"Don't glare at me, Bardock!"

"Kayla, what the hell is wrong with you? You've hardly spoke to me, you give me the cold shoulder and now, you're talking to me like I'm trash."

"What do you think? Raditz is gone, that's what's wrong."

"Yeah, I know. I know you're angry. But you're talking to me like it's my fault."

Suddenly the room fell silent and even icier than before. Kayla swiftly turned around, her back to Bardock again.

That was when it hit Bardock hard in the face.

"You think this is my fault? Kayla?"

What happened next, Bardock wasn't ready for as she spun back round with anger deep in her eyes.

"This **is** your fault!" She shouted. "This whole mess is your fault!"

Bardock was stunned. Now he finally knew why Kayla had been acting this way, she blamed him for Raditz being taken away.

"If I had done what my mother had wanted," She continued to shout, "Then Raditz wouldn't have been put through the horror of being removed from his mother!"

"If you had listened to your mother, Raditz would never have been born at all!"

"No, but any child of mine wouldn't have been taken from me!"

As she shouted, she stepped closer to Bardock, backing the warrior against a wall.

But, because I mated some cocky, smart-assed low-level bastard, my baby had to be ripped away from his mother!"

"Hey! He was my son too! Do you not think I'm angry too?"

"No! You don't give a damn! If you did, you would've done something to stop them! You would go and find our baby and bring him back!"

By now, Bardock could feel his own rage building. Here, his beautiful mate was screaming in his face, practically telling him he was heartless and didn't care about his own son. Kayla could see the anger but it wasn't going to stop her.

"You really want to hit me right now, don't you? Well, go ahead! Be the ruthless brute you are and hit me! There's nothing stopping you! Or be a coward!"

This continued for a few more moments, Kayla shouting, daring Bardock to hit her as his anger grew. Deep down, a part of Bardock did want to hit her, just to stop her being so hostile but the rest of him screamed at him not to. Kayla's eyes were filling with tears as she shouted, she was realising all the anger, pain and rage she had built up over the days and it refused to stop.

Finally, Bardock pushed past Kayla and stormed out of the room. Kayla stopped shouting, panting from the effort of shouting so much. Her anger disappeared for pain as she listened to Bardock's marching footsteps storm out of the front door then the door slam shut. She dropped to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. All the emotions came at once as well as a new one, fear of her behaviour towards Bardock.

'What's happening to me?'

* * *

**Where do Bardock and Kayla go from here? How are things going to be resolved? Watch this space.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with the dragonball world. I only own the plot and Kayla.

Chapter 6: Kayla's decision

As the fireworks were exploding between Kayla and Bardock, Tora, Shugesh and Borgos were completely oblivious to the seriousness of what was happening. They had returned from a routine assignment then had a quick drink with Fasha. Now they were getting ready to turn in for the night. They had planned a big training session in the morning with Bardock and Fasha so were ready for a relatively early turn in time. As they removed their scouters, boots and armour, they were chatting away, mostly teasing each other for the morning.

"Hey, bet I beat both you two easy." Shugesh boasted.

"What?! No way, Shugesh!" Tora exclaimed, "I can beat you two blindfolded!"

"Whatever!"

All three started laughing only for the laughter to be disrupted by the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing. When they looked, they were shocked to see Bardock stood before them panting. He also looked shaken, unusual for any saiyan warrior.

"Bardock," Tora said, "Are you ok, Buddy?"

"No, I tried to talk to Kayla."

Tora, Borgos and Shugesh sat down and listened as Bardock told them what happened. Like Bardock, they were shocked to hear how aggressive and hostile Kayla had been towards her mate. They were also shocked to hear that she had been blaming Bardock for what happened to Raditz and to see how painful the whole ordeal had been for their team leader.

"Then she dared me to hit her," He told them, "She was screaming in my face, telling me to hit her."

"Did you?" Borgos asked.

Bardock shook his head, "I just walked away."

"I would've just to knock some sense in to her." Shugesh commented

"I would never hit Kayla," Bardock replied, sternly, "She needed to vent. Yeah, every word she said hurt but I would never harm Kayla. But right now, I can't be around her. I think she needs to be alone, at least needs me to be gone for a while."

"Well, your old bunk is still empty so you're welcome to stay here." Tora said.

"Thanks."

For the rest of the night, the four males settled down to rest. Bardock took off his armour, boots and scouter then tried to get comfortable in the army barracks bed, less comfortable and warm than the huge bed back in his home.

After the explosive argument with Bardock, Kayla was now sat on the floor against the wall, still crying with the emotion and shaking from the energy used up. Every vicious word and the hostile manner of her actions towards Bardock were replaying over and over. But one thing that she could see that pulled at her heart was how Bardock held himself back and walked away when she was demanding he hit her. It was proof how much he cared about her. And the hurt in his eyes as she vented proved how much he did care about Raditz.

"How could I be so cruel?" She asked herself, "Bardock is everything to me and I treated him like trash."

As she cried, she wrapped arms around herself, trying to keep herself from shivering. All those great memories from when she first met Bardock to Raditz being born were starting to roll in her mind. When she first saw him, she couldn't believe that such a handsome creature existed on Planet Vegeta and he was staring, rather lustfully, at her. His thick black spiky hair and his roguish charisma was what she was attracted to first. Then she got to know him. Underneath the bravado, the cockiness and the emotionless warrior, she found a good man who, despite being a trained killing machine, had decent principles.

Unlike many of the elite, Bardock had true saiyan pride, the honour of a real warrior and was trustworthy. He had been given a rough start to life with abuse from his father and loosing his mother that Kayla was amazed he had grown up in to the man she had fallen in love with. He had never given her reason to not trust him and she loved him for it. When she discovered she was pregnant with Raditz and Bardock was the father, she was delighted and made even more so when Bardock was just as delighted as her. And when father and son met for the first time, it was as perfect as Kayla could've hoped for.

But now, everything was wrong, the complete opposite of those happy days. Raditz was gone with the possibility of never coming back and now, Kayla had ruined things between herself and Bardock. She had put all the blame on Bardock and called him awful things. He would never do that to her, no matter how angry he was. In fact, he too had been angry and hurt by Raditz being taken away and, yet, he didn't behave like Kayla. How did she suddenly have so much hatred and resentment for Bardock when she had fought so hard to be with him and loved him so much? She was even dreading the idea of Bardock coming back in case she lost it again, if Bardock came back that is. If the saiyan culture was different, things wouldn't be this way. But she knew what her people were like. As Kayla sat on the floor, she realised she needed to do something get her head together but there was no way she could do that here on Planet Vegeta. Finally, as she slowly stood up and made her way to bed, she decided what she was going to do.

Meanwhile, in the army barracks, almost every single male saiyan was asleep in their respective bunks. Some were snoring while others were muttering in their sleep. Shugesh was the snorer in his crew and it was a wonder how the others could sleep. Borgos lay with his arms and legs spread out on the bed, his feet dangling off the sides. Tora lay on his side, sleeping peacefully. However, Bardock wasn't asleep. He lay on his back, arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. All that was running through his head were his own memories of his relationship with Kayla. She was just perfect, beautiful, intelligent, fun and just so different to the rest of their species. She had her own mind and strength to remain independent and not let others control her. He never believed that he was good enough for such an amazing woman but she saw past the class difference to see Bardock for him. The first time they kissed, from the moment their lips touched, it all felt right. When they discovered Raditz was going to be born, the scarred warrior had been worried that he might take after his own father but Kayla assured him he wouldn't. It had been tough but, before Raditz was taken away, he was starting to get the hang of the new responsibility and the presence of a little baby.

The night Raditz was conceived was a night that Bardock refused to forget. Ok, he would've preferred to mate with Kayla in a nice warm comfy bed rather than the cool grass outside but it was still an amazing night. Kayla clung to Bardock all the way, their tails wrapped together. All the love and attraction between them was expressed in the clearest way and Bardock made sure it would be a night neither would forget. After it was over, he was allowed to enjoy the warmth of her skin against his as he held her close while she slept. It gave him a chance to savour how beautiful and perfect she was and how lucky he was. As he held her, there was no way anyone would be allowed to disturb this exquisite moment.

Now the situation they were in was completely different to that beautiful night. There was so much anger and pain that not even their once close bond could prevent the damage that was now done. Maybe if Bardock stayed at the barracks, carried on working and kept an eye on Kayla from a distance, both would be able to recover then, hopefully, they could reunite and start all over again. But Bardock was unaware of the twist that was around the corner.

The next morning, Bardock, not remembering drifting off to sleep, woke up to a very quiet barracks. The sun streaming in was bright and strong. With a groan, Bardock opened his eyes. What he wasn't expecting was to Kayla sat on the bed next to his, Borgos' bed.

"Kayla?"

"Good morning, Bardock," She replied softly.

As Bardock sat up, he realised the barracks were completely empty except for him and Kayla. She saw him looking around.

"Tora said you had trouble sleeping," She explained, "He thought it would be better if you were left to sleep. I decided to sit and wait."

Bardock couldn't help but stare at her. She looked different. "Doesn't look like you slept well either."

"No, I had plenty on my mind, as you did."

For a few moments their eyes never left each other but neither spoke.

"I think we need to talk." Bardock finally said.

"Yes, but not here."

"Why?"

As soon as Bardock said the word, a door opened and in stumbled another male saiyan, clearly drunk, stumbling through the barracks and burping loudly. With a small shared smile, Bardock understood why Kayla wanted to do this else where. So, once he was dressed, he followed her as she flew to where she wanted to talk.

The flight was a fairly long one. Wherever Kayla wanted to go, it was clear to Bardock that it was far out of the citadel. The buildings started to thin out until they reached the wilderness of Planet Vegeta. Then Kayla slowed and turned to Bardock.

"Just here will be fine." She called.

The two saiyans landed and Bardock looked around, trying to figure out why Kayla had chosen this place to talk. As he did, Kayla waited to see if he realised. Then it came to him.

"This is where…"

"Where Raditz was conceived," She finished, "I was thinking about this place last night."

"Yeah, I was too. So, where do we stand?"

Kayla immediately looked deflated. "I'm sorry for last night. I can't believe I said the things I did. I was just so full of rage; I couldn't control it any more."

"But what the hell did I do to trigger off the explosion?"

"I wanted to blame someone and you never made it clear that what happened to Raditz had affected you. As far as I could see, you didn't care or were handling it better than me. But, now I get it. This whole saiyan warrior culture we're a part of. We're not allowed to be emotional are we?"

Bardock didn't reply. But he knew the answer as much as her.

"We should've talked about this sooner, before what happened last night." He said.

"Yes, but its too late now."

"No, Kayla, it's not. We're talking now."

"But there are too many bad memories now. I need space to get my head straight. And I need to do it away from Planet Vegeta."

That sent shockwaves through Bardock's body. "You're leaving? For how long?"

"I don't know, as long as it takes. In fact, I may never come back."

"You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No."

"Then why not just leave, why tell me?"

Kayla said nothing but smiled softly at her mate. She then stepped forward until she was close enough.

"I wanted to make sure that you knew something before I left."

Gently she cupped Bardock's face in her hands then kissed him. It was the kind of kiss Bardock missed, the kind that had both of them melting in to each other. But, just before Bardock could put his hands on Kayla's body, she pulled away.

"I love you, Bardock," She said softly, "I always will."

With that, Kayla turned and flew off to the launch site, ready to get a space pod and leave. Bardock stood watching as his beautiful mate disappeared, not knowing if he'd ever see her again.

* * *

**Sorry it has taken this long to post but I have a lot on my mind at the moment so updates will be posted when they are posted. I won't be updating as often as my first story. Thank you for your patience**


End file.
